"Ma'am, I already told you! You can't just barge in here unannounced while the lady is having her meal!" Celestine darted her eyes to the commotion involving the butler chasing a lady, Ingrid, who took huge strides on the way to the garden where she usually eats breakfast.
Celestine exhaled deeply while she folded the newspaper in half and put it on the other side of the table. She picks up a cup of black coffee and places it under the nostrils to smell the wonderful aroma.
"What brings you here early in the morning, Mrs. Lim?" Celestine formally addresses Ingrid but satirically emphasizes the word 'Mrs.' for she knows too well that marriage is something that Ingrid is totally insecure about, playing the role of a mere concubine for Arthur Lim all these years without any marital rights.
So much is running into Celestine's mind as of this moment. Did Ingrid arrive unannounced because of what she did to Amira last night? Most likely.
Celestine narrows her eyes at Ingrid who stood unbelievably calm which is in contrast to how wild and brave she expected her to be. Not only that Ingrid stood very composed a few meters away, she is even smiling at Celestine who is frustrated.
Ingrid takes careful steps on the way to Celestine's abundant breakfast table, "I thought your mansion was already beautiful at night time but it is even magnificent during the day!" she complimented while her eyes roamed in awe around the garden, totally in awe with the bright and well-maintained plants that looked and felt as if she was in Amsterdam.
'I can't believe it would take her this soon to suck up to me, who is obviously more powerful than her. Ingrid may have realized that it is better to have me as a friend than an enemy,' Celestine smirked while wiping the corners of her mouth using a cream-colored table napkin.
Skeptically creasing her brows, Celestine stands up and promenades to the in-house gallery that is solely dedicated for the most expensive paintings she bought from all over the world while Ingrid follows behind, firmly holding the handle of her white luxury bag and gasps at the wide variety of paintings hanging on the wall.
"I'm glad you were able to witness my estate's glory during the day. You see," Celestine shoves her black silk robe as she sits on her gold-plated antique sofa, "I am not a fan of beating around the bush. Do you mind telling me what it is that you are about to say? I hate wasting time," she spoke with all the authority she has which makes Ingrid swallow hard.
Ingrid mentally asks herself, 'Since when did Celestine get this intimidating?' She clears her throat and sat across Celestine by herself though she was not invited to do so, "Well, I was just thinking if you would like to pay us a visit in our family house? I'm pretty sure you remember your good memories with us," Ingrid forced a polite smile on her face-lifted face.
At that very moment, Celestine bursts out in a burst of hysterical laughter, one that resounded in the entire mansion until tears began forming in her eyes. Meanwhile, Ingrid stares at Celestine, quite uncertain as to which part of her statement calls for such laughter.
"Woah, I never had such a good laugh in years!" A servant handed Celestine a box of tissue to wipe her tears away, "I didn't know you are such a joker, Mrs. Lim!" Ingrid's statement played in her mind once again most especially the 'good memories' part because she does not have any. What makes Ingrid think so?
Ingrid slightly bowed her head and proudly grinned, she had always thought she had the humor to impress such an important person like Celestine. She never thought that the time would come when she would have to respect Celestine as highly as now.
Placing her hand over her mouth while she chuckles, Ingrid spoke, "I am glad that made you laugh. Come on, you can drop the honorifics, Celestine. You can even call me 'Mom'," she tries to further push her humor but gets a poker face from Celestine instead.
Celestine crosses her arms, "Can I ask you something?"
"Yes, of course! Anything," Ingrid fixed her posture as she livened up.
"Have you always been this shameless?" Celestine asks straight to the point which made Ingrid gasp and put a hand over her mouth.
But Ingrid decided to conceal the shock on her face, uncertain whether to be offended or not by Celestine's question because she said it with a smile on her face.
Ingrid put a hand on her chest and took a sip of the water given by a servant earlier, "What are you talking about, Miss Celestine?" she nervously places the glass back on the gold-plated center table.
No matter how much Celestine throws acidic words at Ingrid, she does not seem offended at all which is the prime intent of her interjection. Thankfully, Ingrid left her estate after failing to persuade her to go to their house.
Celestine is certain that Arthur is behind that request, hoping that they would get into her good side and somehow try to forget the past.
"Call her my 'Mom'? Reliving the good memories in the Lim mansion?" Celestine cannot help but give credit to Ingrid's audacity to even talk to her.
In her free time, Celestine walks around the Medical City, her hospital, to look at the facilities and rooms herself. She always wanted to see what needs to be improved and whether the patients are well taken care of.
While Celestine marches around the hospital, her phone rang inside her pocket which made her stop and answer it.
"Hello, presidential daughter! How are you?" Celestine greeted Veronica as she stood on the side of the hallway.
"Celestine! I am doing great and I hope you are, too." Veronica answers from the other line.
Veronica and Celestine are just around the same age which is one of the reasons why they get along so well. Skipping formality and honorifics, Veronica is the coolest daughter of the country's president. She is down to earth and loves mingling with people regardless of social status.
Celestine presses a button on the elevator up to her office while her phone is in her ears, "What is the reason for me to deserve such a call?" she asks, the elevator slowly rising up.
"You see, a friend of mine wants to have dinner with you tonight. I told him I have to ask you first because I know you are so busy being the president and CEO of the biggest hospital in the whole country," Veronica chuckles at the end of her statement.